Three Words: I Miss You or I Love You?
by Hyuchiha Ruki
Summary: Continuation of 'It's Never Too Late to Apologize'. Weeks have passed since Shika & Ino's break-up. Are they really over each other? & what happens when Shika asks Ino to dance with him? Will she say yes & if she does, will it be their last dance? R


**This one-shot is dedicated to WolfFlowerz for encouraging me to make this story to serve as a continuation after 'It's Never Too Late to Apologize'. Anyway, I know songfics are becoming over-used, but it doesn't really matter.**

**WolfFlowerz: I'm sorry but I just **_**have **_**to put Temari in.**

**The song's 'Miss You' by Westlife. One of my faves. Hehe.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the song I'm using.**

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She's been on his mind for some time.

To her, after she apologized with all the heart-felt tears, it's as if nothing happened between them. If he remembered right, they started hanging out again… as friends. Their Saturday afternoons were once again spent together with Choji, having lunch and all.

Temari didn't show up anymore and Ino didn't mention her other boyfriend again. Somehow, it convinced him that it's as if they were starting over.

He was also there with her when her boyfriend broke up with her. Finally, he saw him. The guy who 'took his Ino' (A/C: Yep, _his _Ino). He had slick, flat ebony locks and slightly squinted eyes and white skin. He didn't stop smiling.

'I never knew that Ino would even know a guy like him,' Shika thought in his head as he listened to the couple's conversation.

But what surprised him a little was that Ino took her broke up with that guy lightly, as if it never really mattered. No tears, no regretting… nothing.

Shikamaru didn't know if Ino was totally over him, if she didn't think of him anymore aside the usual homework help. Coz one thing's for sure, he still thinks of her and in fact… he misses her.

Not that he doesn't get to be with her. He just misses how she used to be with him almost all the time and how she'd be so damn sweet when it came to talking to him. Yeah, that's what he missed. A lot.

_Beep!_

"Hey, this is Shikamaru. I'm too lazy to pick the phone up right now so I guess you can just leave a message and I'll call you back if I bother to. _Beep._" It was the usual message on his answering machine.

"Wake up, Birthday Boy!" the perky voice said on the phone, "It's Ino, like always! Happy Birthday! I'll be there before anybody else to help decorate for your party today! See you! Kisses!" The message was recorded.

'Kisses?' Shikamaru recalled the statement, 'Damn, that girl gives me the most mixed signals in a week.'

He sat up from his covers and yawned. For the past few days, he's been waking up to Ino's voice, loudly booming from his phone. But, he didn't mind it that much. He was just glad that she didn't forget him.

Scratching his head, Shikamaru stood up and went to tie his hair up like always. Not bothering to change from the sleeveless top and rolled up jeans he slept in, he sluggishly crept down the stairs.

The house was unusually quiet. He knew why it was so. Shikamaru's father was on a mission sadly; he might not even be able to greet his son today. His mother is obviously out early to buy the necessary things for the party.

"Great. It's my 21st birthday and my parents aren't even home. Troublesome." He mumbled to himself.

Jumping onto the couch, Shikamaru relaxed and decided to savor the tranquility coz he was sure that it'd get pretty noisy later.

But, his moment was interrupted by a demanding knock on the door.

"What is it?" Shikamaru called out, sure it's probably just the mailman or something unimportant…

"Shika!" the feminine voice called from outside, "It's Ino!"

Almost falling off the couch, Shikamaru smoothed the creases on his shirt and checked if his hair was neat, 'Damn, she's early.'

A little nervous, Shikamaru opened the front door and found Ino, all shining smiles, "I bet you just woke up." She guessed right.

'She's haunting my morning… which isn't that bad…' Shikamaru thought.

"You're early…" Shikamaru grumbled, glancing at his watch: 7:35 a.m. Usually, it was too early for Ino to even have breakfast.

"Of course!" Ino said, getting into the house bringing in a couple of plastic bags, "Happy Birthday to my best friend!"

She skipped to the living room to drop the stuff off then giddily hopped to Shikamaru, giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

'Damn, I missed those…' Shikamaru said in his mind as he slightly blushed.

With that, Ino turned around saying, "Anyway, the party's at 7, right? Let's get started!"

Shikamaru snickered, "That's in 12 hours, more or less. What's the rush?"

Grabbing a roll of streamers, Ino explained, "This is a special day for you Shika and it's my job to make it one of the best days of your life!"

'Best days of my life?' Shikamaru thought…

_Ino gave him a model's pout and explained, "Shika, for me, this night is ultimately special. I want to spend it in a special place with a special person. You're that special person." (A/C: See 'Proof of His Love' Chapter 6: StarGazing)_

Sweet memories that until now, he cherished, 'That night…' he thought, as if wanting to tell Ino, '…it was one of the best nights of my life.'

Giving in to her suggestions, Shikamaru said, "Well, you always make the day worth it so… thanks for the help…"

With those words, Ino nipped her lip as she recalled a memoir with Shikamaru that happened just a weeks ago…

"_I wished…" she began, "…that you'll love me forever… coz I'll love you forever."_

_Smiling, Shikamaru whispered, "Promise?"_

"_Promise." Ino reassured. (A/C: Again, see 'Proof of his Love' Chapter 6: StarGazing)_

"Well," Ino began as she tried not to let some of the tears left fall in front of Shikamaru, "Shall we begin?"

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Shikamaru's back yard was beautifully decorated with paper lanterns, streamers, balloons and countless bouquets of flowers (of course, the bouquets were free of charge, thanks to Ino).

"Man, you really transformed my back yard…" Shikamaru said, examining each corner of his lawn, "Like always, Ino, you did a great job."

Hiding a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks, Ino giggled at the compliment, "Anything for you, Shika…"

Shikamaru looked around to find some of the guests over at his house as early as 6:00. Shino, the deejay (A/C: Couldn't think of anyone else), has already taken his place behind the amplifiers and was already playing electronic dance music.

Ino flipped through the guest list curiously but her beam faded off when she found one name third to the last in the list: **Temari**

'Oh…' Ino thought angrily, 'She's… invited?'

Quickly flapping the papers back, Ino stormed into the kitchen to contain her fury with a cold glass of iced tea.

She mixed a pitcher of it in haste then poured herself a glass. When she turned around, her face met with Shikamaru's, "Aik!" Ino shrieked in surprise.

"S-Sorry…" Shikamaru mumbled, "I… was looking for you…"

Ino sipped some iced tea and asked after a few gulps, "What is it? Anything wrong, Shika?"

Almost worriedly, which was definitely not him, Shikamaru admitted, "Ino, I need help. _Your _help."

Putting the glass of iced tea down, Ino smirked and asked, "Sure. Why not?"

Eager, Ino looked on at Shikamaru, waiting for his reply,

"Uh… it's about… something secret so… don't tell anyone, alright?"

Ino crossed her arms across her chest in slight suspicion as she muttered, "You trust me, Shika. Go on…"

Shikamaru nipped his lower lip then blurt out, "I'm going to propose to a girl… tonight…"

Eyes wide, jaw dropped, breathing stopped: Ino's state was unbearable.

But, she was over Shikamaru… right? She tried to forget any emotion toward him, like how he did. Or did he? Her hands went numb and her palms began to sweat.

"…Propose? Shika, you didn't tell me…!" Ino replied in mild shock.

Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru gnashed his teeth and mumbled, "Shhh! Shut up…"

Shut up. Those two words… Both of them had another flash back…

_Shikamaru hushed her by placing a finger on her lips. He had a serious look on and said, "Let me get something straight: You… like… me?"_

_Ino nodded her head slowly._

_Then, Shikamaru took the finger away from her lips. "Hn…" he just mumbled, "…Shut up."_

_Ino's eyes widened, "Sh-Shut up?"_

_Shikamaru's voice was angry and demanding, "Yeah! You heard me! Shut up! I don't want you to tell me lies just so I'd feel better or something!"_

"_I'm not lying!" she yelled back, "Not this time!" (A/C: See 'Proof of his Love' Chapter 4: Confessions Under the Rain)_

Both began to snit their lip again as the memory replayed in their mind, "…Who's the lucky girl?" Ino managed to ask, faking a smile.

Shikamaru glanced beyond Ino to avoid her gaze, "Uh… she's not my girlfriend… so I think there'll be… rejection…"

Shaking her head, Ino reassured him, "Hah! She won't even think of doing that!" She placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, patting it encouragingly.

"You think?" Shikamaru's voice slightly quivered in anxiety.

Ino let out a big toothy grin and yipped, "Totally!"

What Shikamaru didn't notice was that she was gripping some of his sleeve, clenching it in her fist.

"I just have a tip, Shika…" she added, "Don't kneel anymore. It's too traditional… too over-used. A girl will look for something new, something original. I dunno… Just don't kneel, spare us the unoriginality."

Chuckling, Shikamaru said, "You're still the same hilarious critic you are, Ino. Thanks for the tip."

He quickly ran his hand across Ino's head and said, "You're such a sweet girl…" A blush drew across both of their cheeks.

Grinning, Ino replied, "Aw! Thanks, Shika!"

With that, Shikamaru exited the kitchen, shoving his hand into his pocket.

He ran his fingertips down the engagement ring in his pocket. He felt the smooth gold base and the diamond's rough edges. He smiled to himself.

'Finally…' he thought, 'This ring's been sitting on my bedside desk for weeks…'

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"Sakura! My beautiful cherry blossom! Dance with me with youth!" Lee cried at sight of Sakura.

The pink-haired kunoichi was in a knee-length doll dress, clutching a sequined purse, "Oh, hey, Lee." Sakura passively greeted back.

And, like that, Lee's bushy brows crinkled. Sakura had her right arm around Sasuke's left. Sasuke glared at Lee with an expression that said 'Get near Sakura and die…'.

"I can't believe that Shikamaru's hosting a _formal _birthday party." Tenten exclaimed, holding Neji's hand as they walked through the dewy grass.

Ino's eyes looked fierce as her glares practically pierced through the curvy kunoichi in the little black dress: Temari.

And with her were her brothers, as usual, but this time, Kankuro had ditched his purple face paint and full-body leotards for an all black tuxedo. Gaara didn't even bother to change from his usual sand outfit.

Naruto arrived with Hinata and her teammate Kiba in their own formal wear.

"This is so troublesome, Choji…" Shikamaru mumbled, "I can't do this…"

Feeling his friend's anxiety, Choji flipped a coin to Shino and said, "Do me a favor and play a nice love song or something…"

Pushing his sunglasses onto the bridge of his nose, Shino muttered a few swears then flipped a CD into the player.

'_I can't sleep, I just can't dream  
When your shadow is all over me, baby  
Don't wanna be a fool in your eyes'_

Shikamaru's brows arched the moment he heard the first note, 'Damn it… That song's definitely my song these days…' he thought.

Once she heard the song, Ino tried to conceal the way she wished Shikamaru was back by commenting, "This song is so old. What a rip-off…"

Shaking his head slowly, Shikamaru told himself, "Don't dance with her… for your own sake…"

Ino clenched her fists together as she chanted in her mind, 'Don't dance with him… Don't dance with him…'

Their eyes met even if they were just across each other in the lawn. Gathering some guts, Shikamaru sighed, walked to her and asked, "For old time's sake, do you want to dance?"

She felt Temari's eyes stabbing her as she stared at them. Smirking, Ino nodded and said, "By all means…"

_'Cause what we had was built on lies  
And, when our love seems to fade away  
Listen to me, hear what I say'_

Shikamaru shyly held onto Ino's hand as they made their way to the center of his brightly lit lawn to be the first to dance on the… er, floor.

"You sure you wanna dance?" Ino asked, almost doubting him.

Shikamaru's brow arched as he mumbled, "I wouldn't dance with anyone else…"

'_I don't wanna feel  
The way that I do  
I just wanna be  
Right here with you'_

Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Ino's waist as she placed her hands behind his neck. They slowly swayed along, watching their feet every once in a while. Shikamaru never really liked to dance, but dancing with Ino was something he loved to do.

"Hey, I thought you don't dance…" Ino teased as she gazed back at Shikamaru. His smile, his soft chuckle and his captivating eyes… yeah, she admits it. She missed him, too.

'_I don't wanna see  
See us apart  
I just wanna say it  
Straight from my heart'_

Ino made her move, wrapping her arms around Shikamaru as if in a tight embrace, letting her head rest on his shoulder. The other guests have already started dancing, too, by this time and it seemed like they had the world to themselves.

'_I miss you'_

"You know, Ino…" Shikamaru mumbled near her ear, "Those three words were what I want to tell you…"

Ino then mumbled, "What three words?" With high hopes, she awaited his answer.

"I miss you." Shikamaru answered in a whisper.

A little disappointed, Ino pouted and grumbled, "Oh."

'_What would it take for you to see  
To make you understand that I'll always believe  
You and I can make it through  
And I still know I can't get over you'_

She could tell that a couple of tears were forming at the corner of her eyes. She couldn't stop it this time. Not anymore. She's been holding it back for too long.

She pushed herself away from their embrace and mumbled, "Sorry, Shika…"

Then, she shoved her way through the crowd of dancers.

"Ino?" Shikamaru called, baffled.

'_And, when our love seems to fade away  
Listen to me, hear what I say'_

Once she spotted Temari near the entrance to the house, Ino suddenly told her with the teardrops down her face, "Congratulations, you're lucky to have him." Then, she made her way into Shikamaru's house.

Temari threw a confused look as she followed Ino with her eyes, "Lucky to have who?"

'_I don't wanna feel  
The way that I do  
I just wanna be  
Right here with you  
I don't wanna see  
See us apart'_

Shikamaru managed to catch up with Ino, "Ino! Hey! What… Did I do something to make you cry?" he asked, almost shouting to her.

Ino turned to see Shikamaru before leaving through the door, "I'm sorry… I… I just broke down… So sorry…"

Shikamaru cupped her cheek, whispering, "I… haven't seen you cry like this since the day we broke up…"

With that, Ino burst into more tears, burying her head into Shikamaru's chest. Shikamaru held her like she was a fragile possession, "Hey, hey…" Shikamaru comforted her, patting her back, "Calm down, Ino. What's the matter, baby?"

"You haven't called me that… since the day we… broke up…" Ino hiccupped.

Realizing that he just called Ino 'baby' in his sweet tone again, Shikamaru slightly blushed and said, "…Can you tell me why you're breaking down?"

Ino wiped her face on Shikamaru's chest then confessed, "I'm not over you, Shika… no. I admit it. And when… you said that you'll be proposing…"

She stopped and looked at him with her watery blue eyes, "Shika, I still love you…" she muttered, more tears running down her powdered cheeks.

Shikamaru sighed in both relief and exasperation, "…You know that I still love you, Ino. It's not an easy thing to get over with in a few weeks."

'_I just wanna say it  
Straight from my heart  
Oh, baby, I miss you, I do'_

Ino sobbed and sniffed as she still hung on to Shikamaru in despair, "Besides," Shikamaru mumbled, hoping that it would put even a small smile on her face, "You made a wish on our star… that I'll love you forever… remember?"

Nodding, Ino still hiccupped from the crying. She remembered that night well as if it just happened yesterday.

Shikamaru let go of Ino for a minute then said, "Uh… if you'll excuse me for a minute, I'll just…"

He ransacked for something in his pocket then took out a small, red rose bud. "You like roses, right?" Shikamaru asked with a tiny grin.

Ino's narrowed her eyes, "Roses won't make me happy tonight, Shika!" she screamed. But, she drew back then mumbled as if giving in, "…Only you can, Shika…"

But, despite that, he handed the rose bud to her, which she held onto, twirling it round and round. And when she did a third time, something caught her eye, wrung around the rose's stem.

"Oh my Gosh!" Ino yelled in shock.

A diamond engagement ring hung from the rose's stem, making its way to Ino's finger and when it snuggly slot itself to her finger, she couldn't breathe.

Shikamaru smiled and watched her gape at the ring on her finger, "You said you wanted something original. Hope that was original enough."

Ino's tears didn't stop. But, this time, they were tears of joy that she hasn't felt for quite some time.

"Sh-Shika…" Ino stuttered. But, before she could even continue, Shikamaru reached for her lips and as their lips met, she smiled inside.

"Will you marry me, Ino?" Shikamaru asked with a small beam as their foreheads touched.

Ino gave a smirk and replied happily, "How can I say no?"

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**There. I hope it was an okay sequel for a sequel… haha. Reviews are absolutely welcome, flames or not.**


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